It is desirable to take care of the typical automobile. Even where the owner has complete disinterest in the matter, there are times and seasons at which care, and even more care has to be applied to the automobile. In the area of detailing, it is desirable to wash, clean and preserve the finish. Not only does this include treatment of the windows, chrome and painted body portions, this also covers the sidewalls of the tires. From a bumper mounted spare tire typified by a 1920 model with a rumble seat up to the present style vehicle, the sidewalls of the exposed tires are often scuffed and require periodic treatment. The treatment can be as casual as simply washing with running water, or using a sponge in a bucket with water and soap. The present disclosure is directed to a detailing device which enables care to be provided in a more enhanced and expedited manner. It reaches beyond merely washing away the road grime and dust that will accumulate on the sidewalls of the exposed tires. This disclosure sets out a system which can be used to clean, and actually clean with great facility. It reduces the number of utensils that are required, i.e., it furnishes a cleaning fluid but, it avoids the necessity for using a sponge and bucket. In the alternative, it avoids the use of a soaked rag. In another aspect, it avoids the use of other implements so that the net result is reduced time required to accomplish sidewall cleaning.
Sidewall cleaning can sometimes be described as "stoop labor". That is the general term applied to the painful chore of bending and leaning over to get something done. It is perhaps difficult enough for some people just to do that for 10 or 15 seconds. It is altogether a different chore to lean over or knell in a stooped position to clean the exposed sidewalls of four tires on an automobile. It is both awkward, tedious and painful. When stooping, it is hard to get full leverage of the strength of the person in the task or chore. Stooping to work on sidewalls is eased in this instance by freeing up one hand of the user.
Going specifically to the motions and movements required by the user, this device avoids the use of buckets, sponges, wiping rags, etc. Rather it provides a single device which is a large storage bottle which can be easily hand held and which is equipped with a head supporting a wiping sponge. The length of the head and hence the length of the sponge is selected so that it is equal to and slightly longer than the width of sidewalls on most passenger car tires. The head is constructed with an elongate stiff backing member which mounts a sponge like material on the surface. The head positions the backing at an elevated facing angle. As will be explained, the position of the head is turned upwardly somewhat so that the user, when stooping, can accomplish appropriate contact against the sidewall for wiping. Accordingly, one feature of the present apparatus is the incorporation of the attached stiff backing above a container having a hand grip and including a trigger or lever operated pump which delivers a stored fluid from the bottle to the stiff backing. There, the pumped liquid flows in a diffused and distributed manner through an open cell sponge, thereby enabling the head to be wiped directly against the target surface. In this instance, the target is the sidewall. Often it will be white sidewalls. In any event, this enables the hand grip of the bottle to serve as a hand grip also for the applicator. The user then does not need a separate bucket; no other accessories are needed at that juncture. This permits some lateral force to be applied using the bottle itself. Moreover a scrubbing action can be imparted. The hand grip can be readily grasped to enable the head to be applied against the sidewall. All of this is done with one hand, leaving the other hand free so that the user can steady his posture while scrubbing the sidewall. The free hand can be used to stabilize the position so that the user is not required to be busy with both hands dipping into and out of a bucket with a sponge, etc. Moreover the bottle held in the hand of the user can be swung in a circling motion as the circular sidewall is scrubbed.
During the circular motion of scrubbing, the index finger of the user can be conveniently put onto or off the pump lever so that the liquid is applied in timely fashion. This avoids waste of the liquid treatment. It helps keep the head and in particular the sponge on the face of the head moist for cleaning. Moreover this kind of motion and cleaning enables the user to treat the sidewall thereby accomplishing what is otherwise difficult hand labor with improved personal comfort and ease. Moreover the finished product (meaning the washed and clean sidewall) is accomplished with enhanced speed and reduced difficulty.
The apparatus of this disclosure is briefly summarized as including a relatively large storage bottle. The bottle holds typically between ten and twenty ounces of liquid. The bottle is equipped with the upper hand grip portion where the hand of the user will fit about the narrow reduced neck area where the hand grip portion is located. Curved notches are provided for a least two or three fingers of the user. The hand grip supports a trigger which is connected with a liquid pump. The pump delivers liquid from the bottle to the head. Of significance, the head is terminated with a transverse or perpendicular backing member. The head and the pump area are inclined upwardly at an inclined angle. This tilt positions the head not only above the bottle, but it also locates it at an angle so that facial contact of the head against the sidewall is accomplished without the bottle interfering with this position. The head is constructed with a sponge coextensive over the backing member, there by enabling a ready application of the pumped liquid of the head to be wicked through the sponge to ooze through the sponge for quick application. This has the advantage of steadily supplying a measured portion to the sidewall so that even application is obtained.